Rail-sanding apparatus



W. 'L. TRULAND. RAIL SANDING APPARATUS.

2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

Patented Oct. 16,1894.

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Patented Odt. 16, 1894. I

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UNHEv STATES PATENT I OFFIC.

WILLIAM L. TRULAND, OF LANSINGBURG, NEW YORK.

RAIL-SAN DING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 527,630, dated October 16, 1894.

Applicationflled May 10, 1894. Serial No. 510,732- (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM L. TRULAND, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Lan v of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to such improvements and consists of the novel construction and combination of parts hereinafter described and subsequently claimed.

Reference may be had to the accompanying drawings, and the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

Similar letters refer to similar parts in the several figures therein.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a view in side elevation of the valved sand-box detached. Fig. 2 is a central vertical section taken' on the broken line 2-2, in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken on the broken line 3-3,

in Fig. 2, and showing the distributing sand-' box attached to the supply-hopper.

A is the sand-box formed of two similar segmental gears A fixed upon the shaft A rotary in suitable bearings in the box-walls, and controlled by the torsion-spring A secured at one end to a fixed support A"--- on the box and at the other end to a collar A fixed upon the shaft.

wheel is moved.

The spring-controlled, or main, shaft and the wheel-supporting shaft are respectively provided with the gear-segments B"- and ing with each other.

The spring-controlled shaft has a crank- .arm O adapted to be connected with an operating lever located on the car-platform in the usual, or any known, manner, and neither the car nor connecting mechanism are shown.

The slide-valve is provided with an egress opening A shorter, measured lengthwise of the slide, than the slide-movement, and approximately the same size as the box-outlet, both openings being considerably larger than that required to give the ordinarily desired flow of dry, smooth-running sand; and the gear-connection between the slide-valve and the actuating shaft is. so adjusted that in moving the valve from the closed to the open position, the openingrin the slide travels past the outlet and partly closes the same, thereby exposing the sand for a brief interval to the whole area of the opening in the slide, and facilitating the initialdischarge-movement of the sand.

The size of the discharging area finally exposed when the slide-movement of the valve ceases may be varied at pleasure by varying the angular position of the segmental gear on the main shaft and fixing the samein the adjusted position by means of the set-screw A The agitating wheel or disk B- is corrugated on its tapered edge, as shown in Fig. 2, to form irregularities, in addition to the perforations B in the surface of its tapered portion.

Between the intermittent operations of the disk, the sand will fill and pack around the irregularities thus formed, as well as in the B fixed on their respective shafts and meshthe operating shaft.

box surrounding the floor-opening. The hopper may be of any desired form or size. I also provide an agitator for the sand Within the hopper, in the form of a pendulum or lever D-- having its upper end pivoted upon the cross-rod 0r shaft D'- supported at its ends by the hopper-walls. The pendulum is provided with a plurality of agitating fingers D projecting laterally therefrom and adapted to enter and stir up the sand when the pendulum is oscillated. As a means for operating the pendulum, I provide a projection or finger D fixed on the disk B-- and projecting radially therefrom. As the disk is given rotary forward and return movements, the projecting finger D is caused to move through an are indicated by the dotted curved line ain Fig. 3. The pendulum is of sufficient length to extend withinthe arc traversed by the finger, and is provided with a head D adapted to be engaged by the finger to oscillate the pendulum when the disk is operated. The pendulum is thus oscillated by each movement of the disk across the path of the finger, the pendulum being moved through an are represented by the dotted curved line b in Fig. 3, until the curved paths of the finger and pendulum separate, permitting the finger to pass beneath the pendulum which swings wholly or partly back to a vertical position to be again engaged by the finger on its return movement.

In applying sand-boxes to railway-cars, varying conditions necessitate the location of the boxes in Various positions beneath the car. It is also desirable to have the box adapted to be operated by either a pushing or pulling movement upon the crank-arm of To meet such conditions and requirements, and change the boxes from a right-hand box to a left-hand box, it is only necessary to reverse the slide-valve,

end for end, and change the angular adj ustment of the segmental gears which actuate the slide-valve, so that the valvewill be actuated in the right direction when the actuating shaft is oppositely rotated or rocked. When the shaft is oppositely rotated, I substitute for spring A a detachable spring coiled in the opposite direction, with its fixed end bearing up against the support A- instead of the support A.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a rail-sanding apparatus, the combination with a sand-box having a valved outlet, and means for operating the valve, of an edgewise-tapered disk rotary in the box, and having irregular surfaces on its tapered portion, and means for rotating the disk, substantially as described.

2. In a rail-sanding apparatus, the combination with a sand-box having a valved outlet, and means for operating the valve, of an edgewise-tapered disk rotary in the box, and having aplurality of apertures in the tapered part of the disk, and means forrotating the disk, substantially as described.

3. In an apparatus for sanding rails, the combination with a sand-box having a bottom-outlet, of an apertured slide for controlling such outlet, an agitator rotatably supported within the box, a common rock-shaft,-

gear connections between the rock-shaft and slide, and separate gear-connections between the rock-shaft and therotary agitator, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 1st day of May, 1894:.

WM. L. TRULAND.

Witnesses:

F. W. TRULAND, GEO. A. lVIOSHER. 

